Question

A ball of copper of specific heat capacity 400 J/kg·K weighing 400 g is transferred from a furnace to 1 kg of water at 20°C. The temperature of water rises to 50°C. What is the original temperature of the ball?

Answer 1

To find the original temperature of the copper ball, the heat loss of the copper is equated to the heat gain of the water using the specific heat capacity values and the principle of conservation of energy.

Step-by-step explanation:

Calculating the Original Temperature of a Copper Ball

To determine the original temperature of a copper ball transferred from a furnace to water where the temperature has risen, we employ the principle of conservation of energy. The heat lost by the copper will equal the heat gained by the water, assuming no heat is lost to the surroundings.

The equation we use is:

masscopper × specific heat capacitycopper × (final temperature − initial temperaturecopper) = masswater × specific heat capacitywater × (final temperature − initial temperaturewater)

The specific heat capacity of water is typically 4.18 J/g·°C. Plugging in the values given, including the mass of the copper ball (400 g) and the change in water temperature (20°C to 50°C), we can solve for the initial temperature of the copper ball.